How can gaming support language learning?

Jacqueline Martin
Jacqueline Martin
A child running with a rugby ball outside, with children behind them

Reading time: 5 minutes

Academics and teachers have been writing about the benefits of using games in the language classroom for many years. Wright et al (1984), Lee Su Kim (1995), Ubermann (1998), Ersoz (2000), Yong Mei and Yu-Jin (2000) and Thi Thanh Huyen and Khuat Thi Thu Nga (2003) all pretty much agreed that games provide a useful and meaningful context for language use; encourage students to interact and communicate; can both challenge and reduce anxiety (as the emphasis is on the message, not the form); provide practice in all four skills; and help students to make and sustain the significant effort involved in learning a language.

Kim and others have also noted that games can offer a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class. Playing a game after an intensive test or with over-excited students after break time can help re-engage learners instantly in your lesson, and you'll maximize your time with them.

Lengeling and Malarcher (1997) took the list of potential benefits of games in the classroom even further.

Affective

  • Games lower the affective filter
  • They encourage the creative and spontaneous use of language
  • They promote communicative competence
  • Games are both motivating and fun

Cognitive

  • Games reinforce learning
  • They both review and extend learning
  • Games focus on grammar in a communicative manner

Class dynamics

  • Games are extremely student-centered
  • The teacher acts only as a facilitator
  • Games build class cohesion
  • They can foster whole-class participation
  • Games promote healthy competition

Adaptability

  • Games can be easily adjusted for age, level and interests
  • They utilize all four skills
  • Games require minimum preparation after the initial development stage

It is important to bear in mind that when the above was written over 20 years ago, it was with reference mostly to more traditional games. But more recent evidence seems to indicate that the same principles apply. Some additional benefits cited by teachers I've spoken to are that:

  • Games could make language lessons less threatening for less confident pupils as their concern about getting sentence form wrong was reduced, and so their production greater.
  • Students learn more than just the language of the lesson when playing a game; they may learn instructional language through discussion or rules and sometimes negotiation skills and a lesson in cultural differences too.
  • Students can form a greater variety of emotional connections with language through playing games, for example acting out a word or seeing another student do so, or remembering a clue for a word.

So, playing games can help students learn a language – but is just playing them enough? Some teachers like using games with less motivated classes who won't engage with straight practice activities and will willingly use key vocabulary and structures in a game, gaining much-needed practice without even realizing it. In today's language-learning context, though, is that a good thing?

Motivating the unmotivated

In recent years, much research has shown that students learn better when the intention or objective of the lesson is clear to them. In short, they understand what they're supposed to be learning and why and, when taking it to the next level, can assess their own learning and be actively involved in planning their next steps.

Would knowing that the games they play are actually a way of doing some additional language practice make these students engage less? Opinion differs, and some discussion seems to center around the actual activity involved. Some games are thinly veiled group-work tasks, but other games that are at the right proficiency level (or slightly above) and take into account factors like cultural context, available time, learning topic and the classroom setting are generally considered to have a positive impact.

Another major influence on improving motivation is the feedback a student receives, and this is something games can also support. Online games can provide richer simulated learning experiences and immediate feedback to students in a variety of ways.

Above all, the main issue for the less motivated students is usually that they can't see why they need to learn English. Playing games not only simulates 'real' contexts but also helps them understand that they can accomplish a variety of tasks using English as a medium, which is motivational in itself.

As teachers, there is a responsibility to explain how or why games will help students learn. This can equally motivate learners (or parents) who fear that playing games is just frivolous time-wasting. For example, informing even adult students that a simple hangman or hot seat game helps them improve spelling skills, gets their brains focused on recognizing the shape and structure of new words, and facilitates their learning of new vocabulary soon helps them see the value (Simpson 2011).

Can games help learners acquire 21st-century skills?

Maybe we can draw the conclusion that games can positively impact learning – but is that even enough? Today's teachers have to ensure not just that their students learn but that they acquire the skills they need for life and jobs in the 21st century. Can games help here too? This is a newer area of research, but evidence seems to indicate that games can help students learn a variety of important skills such as critical thinking skills, creativity, teamwork and good sportsmanship.

These ideas were taken seriously by Robert Morris University Illinois, who offered an e-sports scholarship for the first time in 2014. They studied two groups of students – football players and gamers – and found that levels of competitiveness, perseverance, focus and determination were very similar. Both groups showed a similar desire to excel as part of a team. Both 'sports' required the team members to be detail-orientated, have good hand-eye coordination and have a strategic mind. The only difference was in the level of cardiovascular activity. Both groups received performance analysis and tactical advice from coaches and both subsequently made improvements.

How many universities will start to offer these types of programs remains to be seen. Still, the idea that online competitive gaming can improve performance is being brought to the workplace too. Think about what virtual teams could learn from playing role-based collaborative games. Team members have set roles and clear and shared goals and have to work closely together to formulate an action plan to achieve them. Teamwork, skill, strategic thinking and communication are essential.

All these are important skills for today's workplace, so maybe gaming can provide an opportunity to hone these in a lower-risk environment and improve business performance.

These examples are clearly far from the norm, but they do seem to indicate that using gaming to support learning in the classroom is not a waste of time. When you get the right mix of gaming and learning, it develops a student's autonomous learning skills and encourages them to spend more time on task – both of which greatly impact learner outcomes.

Need language learning game ideas for your young learners? Read our postÌý5 quick and easy ESL games for teaching young learners.

See our range of English courses

References

Games for Language LearningÌý(2nd. Ed.) by Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Michael Buckby. Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Six Games for the EFL/ESL ClassroomÌýby Aydan Ersöz. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 6, June 2000.

Creative Games for the Language ClassÌýby Lee Su Kim. 'Forum' Vol. 33 No 1, January – March 1995, P35.

The Use of Games For Vocabulary Presentation and RevisionÌýby Agnieszka Uberman.ÌýForumÌýVol. 36 No 1, JanuaryÌý – March 1998 P20.

Learning Vocabulary Through GamesÌýby Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Khuat Thi Thu Nga.ÌýAsian EFL JournalÌý– December 2003.

Using Games in an EFL Class for ChildrenÌýby Yin Yong Mei and Jang Yu-jing. Daejin University ELT Research Paper, Autumn, 2000.

Index Cards: A Natural Resource for TeachersÌýby M. Martha Lengeling and Casey Malarcher.ÌýForumÌýVol. 35 No 4, October - December 1997 P42.

Why Use Games in the Language Classroom?Ìýby Adam John Simpson.ÌýHLTMag, Issue 2, April 2011.

Using Games to Promote Communicative Skills in Language LearningÌýby I-Jung Chen.Ìý, Vol 10, No.2, February 2005.

Getting to Grips with Assessment. Impact Leaflet – National Foundation for Educational Research.

More blogs from ÃÛÌÒapp

  • A young girl working at a desk, there are others working in the background

    5 academic skills for primary students

    By Carol Higho

    In an ever-changing jobs market, the skills we all need to use have developed beyond numeracy and literacy – and part of our jobs as teachers is to give students the skills they’ll need in their future careers.

    Primary students preparing to go to secondary school (and then university) will need academic skills too. While there are lots of courses offering to teach these skills to older learners, we can give our younger learners a head start in the classroom.

    A breakdown of academic skills

    There are a number of important academic skills that can be carried into many different areas of students’ lives. These include:

    • time management
    • prioritization
    • cooperative learning and delegation
    • research
    • analysis.

    Each skill will help students manage their workloads and work effectively and efficiently, whether working in an office, studying for a degree, or being self-employed.

    Activities to develop an awareness of academic skills

    Here are a few ideas for use with students of all ages, to develop students’ awareness and understanding of these skills.

    Time management

    For much of the school day, children are told where to be and what to do. However, knowing how to tell the time is not the same as managing time.

    Some students underestimate how long an activity will take and then feel cheated or ‘behind’ when their work takes longer (especially fast finishers). Others overestimate the time needed, feel overwhelmed, and want to give up before getting started.

    Helping each student understand what each activity involves will help them to plan and manage their time. It will also encourage them to recognize everyone has differing abilities and works at a different pace.

    Give each student sticky notes representing 10 minute blocks of time (6 pieces if your classes are in 1 hour segments).

    Explain an activity:

    • You will read a story, and they will need to listen for key information and make notes.
    • After that, they will work in groups to make a Venn diagram.

    Next, have the students think about how much time each part of the lesson will take using sticky notes. If they think making the diagram will take 20 minutes, they should put two sticky notes on top of each other.

    Have students share what they think the time allocation should be, taking into account how long your lesson is. Did any ‘run out of time’ or have time ‘left over’?

    After the activity, ask students how accurate their predictions were and if there was any time wasting.

    Let students practice using this type of task analysis throughout the week for different activities, so they begin to see which activities they work quickly through and which they find more time-consuming. This will help students plan and manage their time better.

    Also, involve the parents by sharing what has been done in class. Get students to manage the time allocation:

    • from waking up to getting to school (getting washed and dressed, having breakfast, the journey to school),
    • from arriving home to going to bed (homework, evening meal, any cores, time for watching TV or playing games, getting ready for bed).

    How does their time management change at weekends/in the holidays?

    Prioritization

    Prioritization is another big part of time management. Task analysis helps students recognize what they must do and how they must do it in order to get a good grade. It also helps them understand the things they will most enjoy about an activity.

    To teach prioritization, it should become a regular part of the class. At the start of each week list (approximately five) class objectives to be achieved:

    • Ask each student to number these objectives - 1 being their top priority, 5 being their lowest. Make a note of which students prioritize the same tasks in the same order to help with grouping.
    • Next, ask them if any of the objectives will need planning or preparation (for example; growing cress for a science experiment) – and if so, should that be started earlier in the week?
    • At the end of each day, review how the students are doing in reaching the objectives and if they need to reprioritize.
    • As the week progresses, add additional items that are not priorities. For example, clean out your school locker/sharpen all the pencils, as well as other new real priorities: revise for the quiz on Friday. This will give students an understanding of how priorities can change.

    Collaborative learning and delegation

    Delegation and collaborative working are both essential academic and life skills. Thankfully they are already quite familiar topics for students. Students often delegate roles and characters in their everyday play – ‘You be Spiderman, I’ll chase you’, etc.

    It’s helpful to encourage this behavior in the classroom too. It can help students (of all ages) to recognize what they can achieve through cooperation and delegation because of their different skills.

    Explain that a group project (e.g. a group play) will require students to share information and to work together. Make it clear there are rules to follow:

    • Everyone must take part in the performance.
    • The play must be at least one minute long.
    • The group needs to write a script and create some props.
    • As a team, all are accountable/responsible to each other (as well as to you).
    • The activity will only be classed as a pass/success if everyone takes part.

    There is a finite goal – the play will be performed at the end of next week to the Year 2 classes.

    Suggest that the group meets and plans together (reading corner, at lunchtime, etc.). As they prepare, ask for updates on who is doing which tasks and why. Also encourage the group to determine whether something could be done differently/better by sharing the jobs.

    Listen in to see how objections are handled (recognize some of this discussion may be in the students’ first language).

    At the end of the project ask each student to list what they enjoyed the most and what they found most challenging. Ask them what skills they would like to develop for the next project.

    Research and analysis

    This can sound daunting for Primary students, but laying the foundations for academic research is easier than you might think.

    Big questions are a gateway to developing research and analysis skills. Two examples are, 'Why are plants and animals important in our world?' Or 'What can you do to help people in need?'.

    Providing students with a way to remember the important steps in any kind of research makes this type of activity less daunting.

    'Hands On’ is a five point guide that can be demonstrated by drawing a hand with five fingers:

    • Hypothesis
    • Research
    • Gather data
    • Create a report
    • Present evidence
    • Research and analysis (written on the palm).

    Following the five point guide students must:

    • give their thoughts and ideas on possible answers (create a hypothesis)
    • use books, the world around them and the internet to find information (research)
    • learn how to recognize what is fact and what is opinion (gather data)
    • review the data and summarize the main points (create a report)
    • use examples from their research to support their argument (present evidence).

    Any research needs to be methodical; using the five points above helps students build a clear structure that can become more detailed and complex as they advance through school.